Back to Poker!
Now that the initial shock of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act has subsided and players and industry types sit waiting for the fallout, poker playing has returned to the forefront of conversation. That is not to say that people still aren’t talking about what’s to come, but hey, we still have a game to play. And read about.
Last issue we introduced you to 21-year-old poker phenom Shannon Shorr in our Generation Next section. We were so impressed with this young man and his accomplishments this year that we decided to give you the whole story. His story could easily be your own, so don’t miss it.
For the rest of this message, I’d like to reprint something written by a friend of mine, about whom I’ve written several times, Theo “Pittrounder” Tran.
(Reprinted as written with permission from Theo Tran’s MySpace Blog - www.myspace.com/pittrounder)
BE GRATEFUL!!!!!!!!!!
Everything has been adding up and just making me depressed. I hate feeling this way but when everything is going bad, how can you feel good? Things in my personal life are just fucked up. I talk to people and they tell me to just keep smiling and keep my spirits up and things will change. UGHHH, how can I? Do you know what I’m going through right now? I was sitting on top of the world. Then stupid me … .I was betting 5K on games that I never heard of before, but it was the last game of the night on the board so I bet on it. I was losing 10K in 30 minutes playing craps. Boy, what I’d do now for just one of those losing bets or sessions right now! Months ago, I was driving down the Vegas Strip in my M3 convertible but since I was an idiot and drove drunk and totaled my car into a Wendy’s at 7 a.m. in the morning, I’m now driving Gavin’s (Smith) beater Chevy Malibu to get around. I had it all going for me. Last night, I talked to Shann (Shannon Elizabeth) for quite a long time. She is over in India right now filming a movie. She told me of her journey over there and the problems she ran into. I could only imagine how frustrated I would’ve gotten if I was her. But then she told me about the hour drive to where she was going to be staying and filming the movie. I will post here the excerpt directly from her blog she sent me.
“Now we’re in a car being driven an hour outside the city to where the studio lot is that I’ll be filming on for the next 5 weeks. It’s called Ramoji Film City. So, we talk along the way, but I’m having a hard time understanding him. He speaks English well, but his accent is quite strong. As we talk, I’m looking at the city we’re passing though. Wow - there’s more poverty here than I imagined. And more stray dogs…you know how hard that is for me. But it was the people that really got to me this time. People everywhere. If you’ve ever driven through Tijuana, Mexico you probably have one tenth of an image of how run down it looks here. The strangest thing I’ve ever seen is that along the sides of the roads here, people have basically set up their homes. When I say homes I mean Survivor style tents and coverings that people have built just to shelter them from the elements it seems. They’re built with wooden posts and plastic bags covering the tops mostly. Some seemed to be built all with dead leaves. Man, that should put things in perspective now. I’ve had such a hard trip and am tired and hungry…but it’s nothing compared to what I’m seeing. I let that sink in. Maybe my situation isn’t so bad. Maybe I’m getting paid good money to do what I love. Maybe it’ll all be OK. Maybe it IS all OK! Do I really believe this? Well, I’m trying to. I understand it. It’s hard when everything seems relative. But my eyes are open and I’m trying to be in the moment. I stayed calm throughout that whole journey. The only time I wanted to cry is when the guy said I wouldn’t get my luggage until Tuesday afternoon. I was exhausted and just couldn’t take anymore. But when you stop, and are really grateful for what you have, getting luggage a day or even a week late is no big deal.”
After thinking about that, I realize that I should always be thankful for what I have. No matter how rough it gets for me here, it could never be worse than what situations some people have to go through to survive. Yes, money is tight right now, but it was my fault. I need to get through it. Yes, I shouldn’t have trusted some people. It happened, I need to move on. Really though, this time last year, would I ever have thought I’d be living in Vegas playing the game that I love most as my living? Would I ever have thought I’d actually have the balls to just pick up and move out here to fulfill my dream? So why am I being a depressed little punk? I need to just keep my head up and things will get better.
What I’m trying to get across is that no matter how hard things get in life, you need to always remember how grateful you should be, and therefore, keep your spirits up. Look around; tell your family you love them. Spend time with them. Tell your friends and your significant other how grateful you are that they’re in your life. Get medical checkups, make sure you’re healthy. Those are the things that matter. Don’t spend all your time sweating the small stuff.
Best of luck in life, school, and at the tables!
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